Within a Dream
by Yingna
Summary: Inuyasha is starting to have nightmares of Kagome killing him and then his mother trying to strangle him to death..is someone behind all this?
1. Hint

"Die Inuyasha!" shouted a voice. From nowhere shot an arrow that narrowly missed the half dog-demon. As Inuyasha turned around, he realized that the person who had shot the arrow was not Kikyou, but was Kagome. 

"Why?" Inuyasha began, but another arrow shot out and plunged deep within his chest. He took one last look of Kagome's face, a face which was smiling cruelly as if in glee, before his mind went black.

Inuyasha woke up with a jolt. Cold sweat dripped from his forehead and down the sides of his cheeks. The nightmare had seem so real. He had felt the arrow as it whistled past him and also when it plunged itself deep into his chest. The pain had been there.

Sleeping no more, the half dog-demon stood up and looked around. Miroku, Sango, and Shippou were all sleeping peacefully under their warm blankets. But, Kagome was missing.

_Oh yeah, she went back home. She had been gone the whole day already_, Inuyasha remembered. But, having nothing else to do, Inuyasha sat back down and fell into a dreamless sleep.

-

"Inuyasha! Guess what I brought!" said a voice. A face filled his vision as Inuyasha slowly opened both his eyes. 

"That's funny. Inuyasha is usually the first one up. I guess he got tired from the last demon. But, even I could have taken on that demon. This must mean Inuyasha's become weak," Shippou thought aloud as he sucked innocently at a lollipop.

"What did you say!" Inuyasha shouted. He made a move to snatch Shippou's lollipop but Shippou scurried out of his reach and hid behind Kagome, who had evidently returned.

"Oh come on. Stop fighting you two," Kagome said. She took out a bag of potato chips and waved it in front of Inuyasha's face. "See, I brought potato chips!"

"Chips of potato! Kagome-sama, thank you!" Miroku said as he plucked the bag out of Kagome's hand.

"Miroku! Those are for me!" Inuyasha complained.

"Now, now, we can all share," Miroku replied. He opened the bag and started chomping on the chips.

"Grrr," Inuyasha growled. But, his attention was suddenly pulled away to something else. His nose had caught scent of a familiar person, but, he couldn't place his finger on who it was. It had a fragance of lilies and flowers-so familiar!

"Hey, Inu!" Kagome called, but Inuyasha was already gone. He jumped over trees and passed a waterfall, still trying to track down this scent.

Finally, Inuyasha stopped. He sniffed the earth around him, trying to pick up the scent. It was in the direction of a mountain.

Without a second thought, Inuyasha headed towards the mountain, unbeknownst to the danger that was awaiting him.

* * *

So, how do you guys like the first chapter? I know it's kind of short, but, I'm just starting! Reviews would be nice :) Suggestions would also be nice...it's kind of hard for me to think up plots...yeah...I'm usually wasting too much time thinking about which way I should make stories go. Anyway, please review! 


	2. Plan

"A rose is but a rose. A thorn is but a thorn. Inuyasha, you will soon learn the meaning of these words," whispered Kano. He took up a nearby hand bell and rang it a few times. Soon, a young girl who appeared to be the age of ten arrived.

"Yes, my lord?"

"Anzu, go fetch me a bowl of water," commanded the man, as he turned around to face her. "And, don't dawdle. I need everything quickly."

"Yes, my lord." After a bow, the little girl left to do her master's bidding.

Turning around to an ancient painting of an old village man, Kano murmured, "I will soon avenge you, father. The time has finally arrived." 

-

"Inuyasha! Where is that stupid jerk!" Kagome muttered. She stomped out onto a grass field, searching for her half-demon friend.

"Kagome-chan, perhaps Inuyasha has tracked down the scent of Naraku," Sango said. She scanned her nearby surroundings, trying to catch any glimpse of Inuyasha.

"No, it can't be. Inuyasha would've told us. He's always told us if it has been Naraku," Kagome replied. _It must be Kikyou! Only he would secretly run off to see her. Inuyasha still can't forget about her, can he?_ Kagome's worry for Inuyasha instantly turned to anger. _Fine, let him be with his Kikyou. I don't care anymore. I don't care if he returns!_ "Wait, you know what? I think if Inuyasha wants to come back, he'll come back. So, let's just find a place to rest for the night."

"But," Sango began, but Miroku quickly shushed her.

"Look at Kagome-sama. Most likely, Inuyasha is with Kikyou right now," Miroku whispered. In a louder voice, he said, "Yes, let us. I've heard of a nearby village that needs an exorcism. Shall we go there?"

"Oh, are you going to perform your fake exorcism again?" Shippou asked innocently.

"Ha-ha, Shippou, it's not a fake exorcism. To perform a fraud is wrong, and so it is against my religion," Miroku said modestly.

_What religion does he practice?_ Sango thought. But, she followed with the other three as they moved along to the village. 

-

The smell of lilies and flowers were becoming stronger and stronger as Inuyasha moved towards the mountains. He could feel the person with whom this fragance belonged to. He remembered the kind embraces this person had given him. He remembered when she had stayed by his side when he was sick. He remembered who she was.

_But, it can't be._ Inuyasha thought. _Why would she be here? She's gone. It can't be her._

Inuyasha quickened his pace as he sped towards the mountain. A thick mist was beginning to shroud the peak and ominous clouds started to bunch together. A light rain started drizzling down onto the ground, soaking through Inuyasha's clothes. Still, Inuyasha pushed on. _Feh. I'm not going to be stopped by water._

* * *

Ah...the second chapter. Yeah...a little short, too, I know. But, the third chapter is going to be longer :D I just can't really think of anything so I'm writing down anything I think of. Review please! 


	3. Mother

The day was fading and night was slowly creeping across the raining sky, but Inuyasha still had not returned. No villagers or passer-bys had head about him. There was just no information whatsoever about his whereabouts. 

"Hmph. See if I care. Inuyasha can do whatever _he_ likes!" Kagome muttered angrily as she picked at her food with her chopsticks. "He's always running away from me, anyway. Why _would_ I worry? There's nothing to worry about!"

"Hey, Miroku, do you think we should do something?" Sango asked as she nudged the monk. He had been shoving the food, which had been supplied by the family he had recently helped perform an "exorcism", into his mouth. He abruptly looked up as Sango's sharp elbow poked into his stomach.

"Uh...no. I think Kagome will most likely need time alone. It's wise not to disturb her," Miroku replied. He resumed his consistent shoving of food in his mouth as soon as he had finished talking.

Sango, seeing that there was no hope in talking to the monk whilst he was eating, stood up and walked over to her dear friend. She sat down next to Kagome and said, "Kagome, I think Inuyasha has smelt something that might lead him to something of his past. The look in his eyes as he had left were not revealing that he was going after Kikyou-."

"Who said Inuyasha was going after Kikyou? I didn't think that," Kagome stubbornly retorted. But, she had put her chopsticks down and was listening intently to Sango.

"Well, I was just saying. Inuyasha can't be going after Kikyou. His eyes shined with curiosity. And, anyway, if Inuyasha was going after Kikyou, we would've seen her Shinidamachuu. But, there were none," Sango continued. "So, I think if it is anything that Inuyasha is going after, it must be something relating to his past. And, we must not tangle ourselves up in someone else's affairs."

"That had been what I was thinking all along. But, thank you, Sango," Kagome said. However, her words did not match her emotions since her face turned more settled and she took up her chopsticks to begin eating her dinner.

Sango returned back to her seat next to Miroku, but he was still busy stuffing his face full of food. Sighing, she picked up her chopsticks and finished up her dinner.

-

The region where Inuyasha wandered to must have been experiencing their raining season. Rain persistantly poured down, turning from a light drizzle into buckets of water. But, trivial things such as the weather didn't stop Inuyasha from his goals. 

The peak of the mountain was already shrouded in an unending blanket of fog. Seeing something an inch away was as hard as trying to view a single star in a rain storm. However, Inuyasha cautiously sniffed the dirt in his path to make sure he had been venturing in the right direction. The scent was definately getting stronger.

As Inuyasha continued on, the fog seemed to be dissapating. Soon, the hanyou had arrived at the bottom of a waterfall. A steady river was tumbling over a cliff to meet a wide lake at the base of the cliff.

The whole entire area smelt of lilies and flowers. There was no mistaking that this was the place where that person must be residing. That mysterious person.

Suddenly, the dark silhouette of a woman appeared. From where Inuyasha stood, he could make out a long kimono and straight hair that fell down to the woman's hips.

She walked in an odd way, stopping once in a while as if to listen for something. She would walk a few steps and then stop. Walk and then stop. But, eventually, she made her way to Inuyasha.

"Mother?" The word escaped from Inuyasha's lips. "Mother?"

"Inu-Yasha. You have grown up," the woman said. The woman's lips pulled up into a small smile. She moved a few steps closer to Inuyasha and cried out jubilantly, "My boy!"

"This can't be you. It must be one of Naraku's tricks," Inuyasha whispered, mostly to himself. He backed away from the woman who was advancing upon him. "Or-or, Sesshomaru is trying to pull something off again."

"What, Inuyasha, are you saying? Are you not even happy to see your own mother?" the woman said. She walked a few steps closer and then repeated, "Not even your own mother?"

"But-but. It can't be. It can't be," Inuyasha stuttered. But, the woman was his mother, or so it seemed. She had the same deathly pale skin and the same cherry red lips. Yet, there seemed to be something different about this lady. Her eyes were different and so were the words she spoke. Inuyasha's mother would never have been that open-never even to her own son. She was calm and would not act overly happy or sad at any moment. Yes, he had seen her shed her tears, but even then, his mother had not shed that many tears. However, this person sounded a bit too happy. But, it had been a long time since mother and son had seen each other. Maybe this was just true happiness that rang in her voice.

"But," the woman began. She moved even closer to Inuyasha. "It is."

Suddenly, the woman lunged at Inuyasha. Her fingers had turned into claws and she wrapped them tightly around Inuyasha's neck. "My son, how nice it is to meet with you again. I am here to bring you with me to the next realm."

"You...are...not...my...mother," Inuyasha managed to gasp out. With that said, he brought his claws down on the lady and ripped her body apart. But, the woman disappeared as soon as her body was disassembled.

Inuyasha opened his eyes and found himself laying near the waterfall, drenched entirely in water. Everything had merely been a dream. But, the fragrance of lilies and flowers had dissippated. There was only the sound of the lake's water lapping at the ground that broke the deathly silent environment.

_This must be some trick. But who would do this?_ Inuyasha thought. _Even Naraku doesn't have the power to control dreams. And, I'm sure someone had to be controlling my dream just now. I couldn't have imagined everything._

Still, quite perplexed but being able to do nothing, Inuyasha turned around and retraced his steps down the mountain and towards the nearest village. _Kagome, Miroku, Sango, and Shippou should be in a village by now._

-

"My, my, Inuyasha. You are more a demon than I had thought," Kano said as he stared at the splattered water on the floor. The water had evidently fell from a bowl which was held in his hands. "I see that I cannot underestimate you. Even you, as a hanyou, can defeat my water spell. Well then, let's see you face your next challenge."

* * *

Third chapter! This chapter is longer than the other two, but I know it's still kind of short...please review this chapter though! So I know which direction this story should be headed :) 


	4. Memories

"Inuyasha!" Kagome shouted as she ran out of the small hut. "Sit." 

"Ugh...," Inuyasha groaned as he picked himself up from the ground. Getting a "sit" command wasn't always the most fun, especially during a time like this. "What did you have to go do that for!"

"Well, Inuyasha, you ran off without even telling us where you were going. You just left, disappeared, with no trace to be found of you. How do you think that made us felt? We searched for you for a _long_ time. It wasn't that fun, you know," Kagome replied. With a huff, she re-entered the small hut.

"What's with her?" Inuyasha asked.

Miroku, who was standing nearby, replied, "Inuyasha. We all know you went to go see...Kikyou."

"What!" the dog demon cried. In a lower voice, he said, "What are you guys talking about? I saw a vision of my mother!"

"Oh, is that so, Inuyasha?" Miroku said mischievously. "You're sure you didn't go see Kikyou? Kagome is all convinced that you did."

"Why...you guys...!" Inuyasha growled. "I didn't go see Kikyou!"

"Miroku, I think Inuyasha is speaking the truth," Sango interrupted. Then, in a whisper, "Look at him. Why would he suddenly disappear off to go search for Kikyou when we haven't even seen her Shinidamachuu?"

"Ah, well. I guess if Sango says so, it must be true. Let's go back in. I haven't finished my dinner yet," Miroku said. He walked back into the small hut, as if nothing had happened, and sat down to continue eating.

Sango then entered the small hut, with Inuyasha trailing behind her muttering insults and nonsense about Miroku.

-

"Anzu, you were supposed to go fetch me a twig and a grain of rice. Why haven't you done so yet?" Kano roared at the small girl. "Hurry up and _go_!" 

"Yes, my lord," the girl said, emotionlessly. Her face remained a blank stare as she exited the room to continue her master's bidding.

Rubbing his temple, Kano sat back down in his seat. He was getting a headache from trying to think up of plots to get rid of Inuyasha. But, he had his duty to avenge his father, and he was going to accomplish it.

There had been so many years when Kano had been filled with hatred and loneliness, no one to guide him. His mother had died when he was an infant, and his father had been murdered ruthlessly by that dog demon's father. There had been no reason to kill off an innocent farmer like Kano's father. All his father wanted was some vegetables that grew on someone else's territory. Little had Kano's father known that when he took the step to cross the border to the dog demon's land, it was his last. He barely had time to even scream for help before he was gone.

Visions filled Kano's mind as he remembered his childhood. The terrible memories he had after his father was gone. The neighbors in the village had chosen to cast out Kano, seeing as he had no one to bring him up. He was left to fend for himself at the mere age of eight.

For days, Kano ran through the woods, stopping only to grab a plant to eat or falling down when he was too tired. Only by chance was he one day found by a passing samurai. The samurai had little to give, but he was kind. He carried the little boy out of the woods and towards a nearby village. There, Kano was given to an old couple that could never have had any children of their own.

Life with this old couple was pleasant at first. Kano was raised on enough food and knowledge, but he always hungered for more. He hungered for the power to kill the dog demon - the hated dog demon who murdered his father.

But, a few years later, rumors of the dog demon's death spread throughout the countryside. Kano learned of the dog demon's son, Inuyasha. Without hesitation, Kano focused on Inuyasha as his main foe in the world.

The old couple soon passed away, leaving only a hut and a plethora of books behind. Kano fed himself with the words the books provided. There must be something in the books that gave him the power to defeat Inuyasha.

Over time, Kano learned the power of giving up his soul to the spirits around him. Unlike those who had given up their souls to demons, he took the spirits of the people who had also been murdered by the dog demon and fused them with his own. This gave him immortality and a new power. With the knowledge and ability of each spirit, Kano had become a powerful being. He was no longer the helpless boy who had cried when his father disappeared. He was a man hungry for revenge.

* * *

The fourth chapter is finally here! Yeah..I know that it took a while to get this chapter out and it's actually not that long O.o It's because I didn't really have the time to write...so, I just put out the next thing that I had :D 


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